Fat Bob fork oil change
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,483
Likes: 39
From: Passaic County, NJ
As long as the fork cap hasn't been removed? How did you add the oil?
From what I read in the service manual I thought that if the 'seat pipe bolt' was removed the fork tube would fall away from the slider until the slider bushing contacted the fork tube bushing guide, i.e. the assembly would almost double in length.
It sounds like you:
1. removed the seat pipe bolt... alowing the oil to drain
2. re-installed the seat pipe bolt ?
3. removed the fork cap, spring & collar... to add the new oil ?
4. slowly pumped the slider 8-10 times to exhaust air from the assembly
5. measured for proper fluid level with the slider fully compressed
6. extended the slider, installed the spring & collar
7. tightened the fork cap to @ 40 ft lbs
From what I read in the service manual I thought that if the 'seat pipe bolt' was removed the fork tube would fall away from the slider until the slider bushing contacted the fork tube bushing guide, i.e. the assembly would almost double in length.
It sounds like you:
1. removed the seat pipe bolt... alowing the oil to drain
2. re-installed the seat pipe bolt ?
3. removed the fork cap, spring & collar... to add the new oil ?
4. slowly pumped the slider 8-10 times to exhaust air from the assembly
5. measured for proper fluid level with the slider fully compressed
6. extended the slider, installed the spring & collar
7. tightened the fork cap to @ 40 ft lbs
Either way, you're going to have to remove the wheel, axle, and fender....
And yes, you can do it the other way I wrote about removing the forks from the trees and tipping them over. Either way works. You say tomato, I say tom-a-toe
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,998
Likes: 14
From: Central Ohio
Pretty much. Leaving the fork cap on for the draining process, there is sufficient pressure on the damper rod that you don't need an air impact gun to reinstall the 12mm hex bolt.
Either way, you're going to have to remove the wheel, axle, and fender....
And yes, you can do it the other way I wrote about removing the forks from the trees and tipping them over. Either way works. You say tomato, I say tom-a-toe
Either way, you're going to have to remove the wheel, axle, and fender....
And yes, you can do it the other way I wrote about removing the forks from the trees and tipping them over. Either way works. You say tomato, I say tom-a-toe
"...remove the wheel, axle, and fender"....
then why not loosen the pinch bolts, remove the fork tube assembles & drain em upside down?
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,483
Likes: 39
From: Passaic County, NJ
You're more than welcomed to do it that way. I am just offering an alternative.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 250
Likes: 0
From: Long Island, NY
Guys, I have removed the 12mm bolt from the bottom, everything drained but now after screwing it back on it seems to have some kind of play in that 12mm bolt up and down when I move the shock up and down. I'm not sure I have it screwed in tight enough because it just keeps spinning - is that normal?
Last edited by Iskra; Jan 28, 2011 at 10:22 PM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,427
Likes: 2
From: Smack Dab in the Middle of Louisiana
My friend just lifts the front wheel off the ground with blocks under the frame and the removes the top nuts , then uses a pump with a long hose on it and pumps (sucks) out the old oil. He then replaces it with recommended capacity of new oil.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 10
From: Suffolk, England
Guys, I have removed the 12mm bolt from the bottom, everything drained but now after screwing it back on it seems to have some kind of play in that 12mm bolt up and down when I move the shock up and down. I'm not sure I have it screwed in tight enough because it just keeps spinning - is that normal?
Do you have the fork in pieces (i.e. without the spring in and the cap off) when trying to tighten the bolt? If so then it will be hard to tighten it. If its all together and its still spinning then you can try what did it for me:
Use an electric torque driver with a hex bit of the right size fitted into the bolt. Then give the driver quick, snatchy spins and after a couple of tries the bolt span faster than the slider and tightened up.
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,881
Likes: 34
From: USA
You can also remove the entire front fork assembly with tire and fender attached from the trees and invert both, drain and re-install and refill. Heavier...but easier. Just remove caps and brake caliper.
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https://www.hdforums.com/forum/frame...fferences.html
The chart linked to in post #11 is interesting though.
